Beijing hosted the world's first humanoid robot games: 500 "athletes" competed in 26 disciplines

The first World Humanoid Robot Games took place in Beijing, the capital of China, gathering almost 500 "athletes" from 16 countries. Robots competed in 26 disciplines – from running and football to martial arts and even concierge work. This was reported by MSN, writes UNN.

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Beijing became the arena for competitions over the weekend that looked more like an episode from a science fiction movie than a sporting event. The first ever World Humanoid Robot Games were held here, with 280 teams from 16 countries participating. About 500 bipedal machines demonstrated their capabilities in 26 types of "sports" - from running and kickboxing to football and tai chi.

The competitions took place at the National Speed Skating Oval, where the Winter Olympic Games were recently held. This time, the stands were filled with spectators who watched with humor and excitement as robots fell, went off course, or even accidentally pushed people on the track.

Despite this, the developers consider the event a breakthrough: for them, testing agility, endurance, and battery life was more important than medals.

In addition to sports disciplines, some participants demonstrated professional skills - from sorting medicines to serving guests in a hotel. The American company StarBot, for example, presented its robot waiters, who already have experience working in restaurants.

"We hope that very soon such machines will become part of our daily life - in homes, hotels or catering establishments."

Particular attention was drawn to the demonstration performances of tai chi: to calm music, robots tried to reproduce smooth movements, and martial arts judges seriously evaluated their "plasticity." According to experts, even despite the short preparation time, some machines showed impressive coordination.

The event also had a political subtext: China is actively promoting artificial intelligence as a strategic direction of development and is trying to consolidate its position in the global technological competition with the United States. Beijing not only demonstrates achievements but also forms the image of a country capable of integrating artificial intelligence into the most diverse fields - from sports to medicine.

Videos from the games - where robots dance, fall, or compete in football - have already spread across Chinese social networks, gaining millions of views. And although the "Robot Olympics" is still far from human standards, it showed that the future, where machines will be next to us not only in factories but also in sports arenas or restaurants, is not far off.

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